Pumpkin Pie

What is Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? I use the ingredients from the back of the Libby's pumpkin can, but I have a few secrets to baking that make it just a little better :) First secret is the pie crust, which I made yesterday.... After it has chilled thoroughly, take it out and form it into a ball. Flour your counter lightly, and roll the dough in the flour so it is coated on all sides. The secret is to not put too much flour, because it will make the dough dry. But at the same time, too little flour and the dough will stick to your mat and break when you pull it off. 

Roll it out, turning often so it rolls out evenly. Roll until it is about 1/8 inch thick and a couple inches larger than the pie pan turned upside down.

Gently fold into fourths and brush off any extra flour. Folding it before you transport it to the pan will prevent it from stretching. Be very gentle with the dough at this stage. Stretching it at all will cause it to shrink when it bakes, and your crust won't fit into your pie plate.

Place in the pie plate and gently unfold. Push the dough into the corners of the plate so it fits, being very careful not to stretch it. Trim off the extra dough, so there is about 1/4 inch hanging over the edge of the plate. If you are doing a double crust, you would cut it off even with the edge of the plate.

Fold the overhanging dough under to make a nice edge, even with the pie plate. Spread the extra dough on a cookie sheet and brush with milk and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top for a pie-appetizer (:

Decorate the crust however you desire. My favorite is the rope, which is also probably the easiest. All you do is pinch the dough together. Avoid thin pieces of crust, because they will burn easier.

It is very imperative that you poke plenty of holes in the crust before baking it because that will allow the steam to escape and prevent it from bubbling up and shrinking. If you are making a double crust pie, don't poke holes.

Cut out a circle of parchment paper or wax paper slightly larger than the pie plate. Cut slits so it will fit into the bottom of the pie plate. Fill with pie beads (pictured here are ceramic and metal pie beads). If you don't have any, use dry beans or pennies. This will help keep the crust from bubbling up as well.

Stick the pie in a preheated oven at 400 F for approximately 15 minutes, checking often to make sure it does not get too brown. If it starts to brown too much, shield with aluminum foil. Partially pre-baking the crust helps prevent it from becoming soggy - which is a common problem with custard-type pies such as pumpkin, pecan, or sugar cream.

Now it's time to make the filling. I use the ingredients from Libby's pumpkin pie recipe.

Mix the dry ingredients together: sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. 

Beat the eggs well.

Mix the pumpkin and evaporated milk together and heat over medium-low heat. Whisk in the eggs and the sugar mixture. Heat until it is nearly boiling, stirring constantly.

By the time the filling is getting hot, the pie crust should be done. This one got a little more brown than I usually like them to be...I'm blaming that on my mom's convection oven ;) Remove the beads and immediately add the hot filling. Turn the oven down to 350 F.

Shield the crust with aluminum foil to prevent it from browning any more. And stick it back in the oven for 30-40 more minutes.

It's done when you can insert a knife near the center and it comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Filling Ingredients: 
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin
1 can (12 fl oz) evaporated milk
1 unbaked pie crust

Print here.